Luxembourg ? After six years of wrangling, European Union members agreed Thursday on watered-down rules for combating racism and hate crimes across the 27-nation bloc, including setting jail sentences for those who deny or trivialize the Holocaust.

Critics warned that the bloc’s pullback from a tougher 2001 proposal will not deter the racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism that have been on the rise across Europe in recent years.

The rules agreed on by EU nations’ justice and interior ministers set only minimum standards, diluting the original draft by allowing member states to opt out of the standards.

Despite the criticism, ministers said they had taken a step forward in reaching an accord, which must be approved by national parliaments.